Zamfara now six years polio free – Commissioner

Zamfara State has not recorded any case of wild polio virus for six years running, the state Commissioner for Health, Lawal M-Liman, has said.
M-Liman said on Saturday in Kaura-Namoda at the flag off of the 2018 National Polio Immunisation Plus Days Campaign, said it was a great achievement.
He said: “Since 2012 when the World Health Organization declared the state polio free, we have not recorded any polio virus case in this state.”
He attributed the success to sustained collaboration with stakeholders including WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International, traditional and religious leaders as well as the media.
He said: “I want to use this opportunity to remind us that polio is a dangerous disease that cripples or even kills children, it is an infectious disease which is spread by infected children or who have not received required doses of polio vaccine.
“Once a child is paralyzed there is no cure, he or she will be for life, therefore protecting our children from polio virus is necessary and paramount.
“I want enjoin all of us to participate by bringing our children for immunisation, I am calling on mothers to bring out their children for immunisation.”
In his remark, the Emir of Kaura-Namoda, Alhaji Muhammad Ahmad-Asha, pledged continuous support to all efforts at ending polio.
He added that the emirate council had mobilised its district and ward heads to enlighten their subjects on the importance of polio immunisation.
Ahmad-Asha said: “We always call for stakeholders meeting in this emirate whenever there is polio immunisation campaign, to discuss and arrange on how to succeed in the exercise.
“Parents from this area have been complying with the polio immunisation exercise; in Kaura-Namoda we don’t have issue of non-compliance, most of those issues of noncompliance cases were due to ignorance.
“With the collaborative efforts from our wards and district heads in enlightening our people, we no longer have such cases here anymore.”
In his remark, Executive Secretary, state Primary Health Care Development Agency, Yusuf Mafara commended the support giving to polio immunasation and other health related programmes in the state by traditional and religious leaders.
Marafa said: “The state government acknowledges the contributions of our royal fathers and our Ulama in enlightening the public on polio immunisation in the state.”
Earlier, Chairman of Kaura-Namoda Local Council, Lawal Abdullahi, thanked the Ministry of Health and primary healthcare agency for selecting Kaura-Namoda to flag off the campaign.
Abdullahi said: “In Kaura-Namoda local government council, we have been supporting polio immunisation exercise; we are giving you assurance of our continued support and cooperation to all health programmes in order to ensure health care delivery to our people.”
In their key note addresses, the representatives of UNICEF and WHO commended the state government for providing enabling environment for them to support health care delivery in the state.